Bathing device



Feb. 16, 1932.` A. E. hSTEINKMMP 8 1,844,988

` BATHING .DEVICE File@ uay 1f. 189:51

Ill um I INVENTOR.

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A TTORNEY.

Patented Feb. i6, 19321 4UNITED STATES ALBERT EDWARD STED'XAM?, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO BATHING DEVICE Application led MayV 1,

My invention relates to a fixture for use in bathrooms which provides an Ladequate shower room base, a full length immersion tub, and various other advantageous fea- 5 tures. This application is a continuation in partfof my application Serial No. 421,524 iled'January 17, 1930.

In the ei'ort to produce a bath room with completeequipment, within a small space,

and within architects requirements for space and comfort, there has been a considerable development in theplumbing supply art. However, there has been no really adequate provision fora shower bath cabinet or room which is combined with a bath tub, and furthermore, the bathtubs which are providedfor restricted space bath rooms are not long enough for comfort. s

The usual scheme adopted is to place a l 2.0 small bath tub within a three or two walled enclosure, and run a curtain rail about the unexposed sides. This is unsatisfactoryfor a shower bath. The curtain strikes the body anddrips on the bath room floor. The lixture is too drafty Vfor a comfortable shower,

and constant attention' must be paid to pre- Venting the shower spray from striking through or under the curtain resulting in. an unsatisfactory shower bath. The space is restricted within which the bather can move.

Therefhave. in the past, been efforts at providing a bath tub with a ledge or ledges which serve as a seat in taking a sitz bath. These devices'are not adapted for shower 35, use, or else are of a shape which could not be accommodated in anything but a ,large bath room, and even in a large bath room, these devices in their suggested forms will require special wall structure, and thus be unsatisfactory to the architect. Furthermore, the provision of a ledge for a seat in an ordinary bath tub is not satisfactory because the bather will unavoidably splash water out into the room in an effort to take a sitz bath. The usual sitz bath fixture is a small stool or a boardwith hooks upon it which is set into the tub, and even these fail to provide a satisfactory fixture for taking a sitz bath.

It is the object of my invention to provide 1931. Serial No. 534,306.

a lixture. which is of the size of the base of a shower room or cabinet of standard size, provides a sunken immersion bath space of a length which is more than that of the usual shorter length tubs, provides a sitz bath or a sitzshower bath member which is within the cabinet, providing full and adequate Iequipment for this purpose, and the entire fixture is constructed so asto accommodate architects. specications, :lits into a bath- 6o room which is only seven feet by seven feet J but still provides all of the usual and wellV recognized space tolerances for this type of building construction.

I accomplish my objects by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which a typical example will be illustrated and described together with notes as to the points of convenience and advantage, and claims will be appended which set forth the l novelty inherent in the invention.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view'of the fixture forming my invention. y n

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2'2 ofFig.v 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

' Fig. Ltis a horizontal section taken through the walls -of a shower room within which m ixture is arranged. v

Fig. 5 is a smaller scale plan showing how @a bathroom can be built and the advantages of my invention from that point of view.

It will be desirable to construct my novel bathroom devices as rights and lefts, and the construction is such that with rights and lets yS5 the fixture can be arranged in any one ofthe four corners of a" bath room. The fixture will be-of the usual materials employed in the f construction of bath tubs either porcelain or enameled metal, the latter being preferred -I fromv the point of View of expense in both manufacture and transportation to point of use. Y

The outside dimensions of my novel xture forms a square or substantially a square. This is the standard shape of a shower room, and also results in a structure which can readily be housed within four walls with a doorway for entrance, and which will fit into the usual house construction.` The standard size of shower room should not be less than four feet square and I find that this dimension is best suited to my structure.

The outer top rim of the device has a portion 1 which is of a width to form a base for tiling within which the device may be housed, and a narrow margin within the walls from which the balance of the fixture depends. I have shown walls Q, 3, 4 and 5 with an opening 6, within which the fixture is arranged. the entire thing constituting a shower room or cabinet. It will be convenient in this form of installation to cut away the top fiange 1 as indicated in -dotted lines at 7 so that the apertured wall portion 4f can be set in, thus permitting the wall 5 to project only slightly from the exposed portion of the fixture rim and accommodating a lintel across the top ot the opening 6, without takingl up space, and making a neat construction liob. This is not necessary, however.

The interior of the fixture is so formed as to provide a sunken space 8 of the depth of the usual bath tub extending diagonally across the interior. and the opposite corners of the fixture are formed with ledges or seats 9 and 10. The diagonal of a. four foot structure is in excess of tive feet, so that my construction provides for a five foot immersion tub space of a length in excess of five feet. p

The sides of the fixture which extend upl to the seats or ledges as indicated at 11 and 12, form confining sides to the tub space 8, thus limiting the lateral dimension of the tub space, so that no excess of water is required to fill it. The width of the tub space is thus controllable without changing the dimension of the entire structure by lessening the width of the seats or ledges.

In setting the device into the shower room there will always be exposed a portion of the tub space so that the bather does not have to step over the seats or ledges to get into the shower and tub space. The wall opening will be confined to the exposed tub space at one of the corners of the device.

The reason for constructing the devices as rights and lefts is to place the drain openings at one or the other end of the tub space, so that they are nearest to the ex posed end of the tub space. It the rim of the fixture is cut away for the front wall to be set in closer, this will be done to the left of the end of the device where the outlet is located.

The water taps and shower heads and valves have not been shown as these are mounted in the walls of the structure. the diagram of a bath room an advantageous arrangement is shown with the water taps at 13, and the shower head at 14.

The complete device in the walls or cabinet provides a full length tub which is entered through a wall opening, thus keeping drafts away from the bath while using the tub. If it is desired to be seated on one of the ledges, a very ample seating space is provided, enclosed at the sides by the shower room walls. The shower will direct its spray toward the closed corner of the structure so that there is no danger of the spray getting out into the bath room, and there is plenty of room to take a standing shower bath without striking the walls of the room. If it is desired to be Seated in the shower this is also readily done, using the seat away from the shower head.

Due to the tub space being at a diagonal the two ends taper to a corner, but this is of no disadvantage because the tapered space readily accommodates the head and the feet of the bather, and this also conserves water as compared to a square ended tub of the present day type.

The bath room arrangement shown in the drawings illustrates one of the convenient ways of making use of my invention. In this arrangement the window is indicated at 20, the toilet at 21, the wash basin at 22, and a closet for an adjoining room and for the plumbing arrangements at 23. There is a full length wall for towel racks and accommodation of a chair, clothing hooks, etc., and the occupant of the shower room is not exosed to view either through the window or through the door. The whole room as illustrated takes up a space of seven feet by seven feet with the required space for the toilet and the wash basin and adequate provision for plumbing access. There are, of course, many other possible arrangements.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A fixture constituting the base of a shower room which comprises a square body having a tub cavity extending diagonally across it with the sides of the tub space to fill the opposite corners ot' the square formed up into seats or ledges, for the purpose described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a basin of such shape in plan as to provide uniform axes at right angles to one another, the basin extending along one of said axes at substantially full immersion tub length, and a pair of opposed ledges forming seats relatively close to the top of the basin and having the area of said seats disposed so as to form the complement to the immersion tub area to provide a bath shower catch basin area.

3. A square bathing fixture having two elevated horizontal planes located at diagonally opposite corners, and a long deep basin extending diagonally .across the tixture between said planes; substantially as and for the purpose specified.

ALBERT EDWARD STEINKAMP. 

